TITLE:
The Effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG on Mechanical Properties of Long Bones and Body Composition in Immunodeficient Mice
AUTHORS:
Violetta Naughton, Dorian Dixon, Lisa Rainey, Cormac McGarrigle, Patrick J. Naughton
KEYWORDS:
Lactobacilli, Bone, Body Composition
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.7 No.3,
March
21,
2016
ABSTRACT: This study aimed to assess whether a daily supplementation with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG
(LGG) can alter the body composition as well as bone turnover and the mechanical properties of
the bones in systemic immunodeficiency. For this, we use an in vivo model of severe combined
immunodeficient (scid) mice supplemented daily with LGG over 8 weeks period. After 8 weeks of
the treatment, the animals were assessed by DEXA and then the blood was collected from the hepatic
portal vein for bone turnover biomarkers; post-mortem, the caecum was removed for isolation
and enumeration of the gut bacteria, while femurs/tibiae were excised for the assessment of
their mechanical properties. LGG treatment affected the composition of the gut microbiota at the
order level, and it decreased (P = 0.002) total adipose tissue content. Moreover, LGG treatment
decreased the stiffness (N/mm) of both femurs (P = 0.008) and tibiae (P = 0.011). To conclude, this
study shows that dietary supplementation with LGG in immunodeficient animals can alter mechanical
properties of the long bones and concomitantly it can modify host’s total adiposity level.